Greater New Orleans

South Slidell column by Cindy Boudreau

First Baptist Church will host its annual Vacation Bible School with the theme “Saddle Ridge Ranch” for children of all ages, July 11-15, at 4141 Pontchartrain Drive. The VBS will conclude with the presentation of “Saddle Ridge Ranch – The Musical” on July 18 during the 10 a.m. worship service. For additional information, contact the church at 643.3456.

At the mentor training meeting recently held at Salmen High, Arionne Pierce wears the Kickoff Mentor Hat for yelling out that "Failure is not an option for my freshmen."

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Sixty-seven Salmen High School upperclassmen recently received professional training to become mentors to incoming freshmen. Kickoff Mentoring is a new student mentoring program, which will be offered to assist freshmen during their transition into high school. It is an innovative, comprehensive transition and mentoring program that combines upperclassmen with Ninth Grade Academy students.

The Kickoff Mentors will host an interactive orientation day for incoming freshmen July 30 from 8 a.m. to noon to create a yearlong mentoring connection with freshmen during Spartan Family meetings. They also will be part of Freshmen Welcome Night on Aug. 4 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Coordinators for the program are Chanel Hawkins, Angele Landry and Lisa Semere.

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The members of the Westchester Estates Garden Club will meet July 19 at 10 a.m. at the home of Tina Sims. The members will be working on Ways and Means projects for the club.

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The Salmen Football Booster Club has rescheduled its annual Golf Tournament to July 31. The event will be held at Pinewood Country Club, 405 Country Club Blvd.

Cost to play is $75 per person and includes drinks, greens fee, cart fee, lunch before tee off and dinner at the end of the tournament.

Registration begins at 11 a.m., lunch is at noon, and tee off is at 1 p.m. Dinner will follow the tournament.

To sign up or for information, call Becky Benton at 985.264.1099 or Chris Lipham at 985.201.8888.

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The Salmen High School Class of 1990 will hold it’s 20-year reunion Aug. 7 from 8 to 11 p.m. at Patton’s, the Salmen-Fritchie House. Also invited are members of the classes of 1989 and 1991.

The cost of the reunion is $48 per person. Make checks payable to Paula Rumpza and mail them to 1418 Constitution Drive, Slidell, La. 70458. For information, call Jennifer Cleighton Leggett at 985.290.1130 or Rumpza at 504.578.7618 or send e-mail to prumpza@charter.net. All money is due by July 30.

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The next meeting for the Westchester, Windsor, Abney, Magnolia Heights “WWAM” Homeowners and Residents Association will be held Aug. 16. Because of ongoing construction at Abney Elementary, there will be no meeting held in July.

On the last official day of the 2009-10 school year, Salmen teachers, administrators and staff members gathered for one final meeting for the year. During the meeting, Salmen High Principal Terri Wortmann, acknowledged three staff members who are retiring: Christie Stubbs, Joan Dilkey and Col. Kenneth Kimberly.

Stubbs has a total of 31 years teaching with 30 years at Salmen; Dilkey has been in education for 39½ years, served in St. Tammany Parish for 11 years and served as a guidance counselor at Salmen for 10 years; and Kimberly, who retired from the military after serving 29 years and then teaching 17 years, with five of those years in St. Tammany Parish at Salmen High.

Rose Kennedy presented a special gift to Wortmann from the Spartan family to acknowledge the completion of her first year as principal.

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Cindy Boudreau lives in the Pinecrest Subdivision. She can be reached at 985.649.6807 or 985.640.3985 or at southslidelltp@yahoo.com. All submissions become the property of The Times-Picayune and will not be returned; submissions may be edited and published or otherwise reused in any medium.